Penn State Head Basketball Coach Ed Dechellis
Raised in the steel mill country of Monaca, Pa., on the Ohio River just north of Pittsburgh, Penn State head coach Ed DeChellis is well acquainted with hard work, having spent time at the blue-collar jobs in the mills. He also cherishes the close-knit family bonds that paint that region of western Pennsylvania. A cancer survivor from a family that's seen more than its share of the disease, he also knows what it takes to overcome challenges and possesses the steeled determination of someone who has stared adversity in the eye and didn't blink. In his sixth year leading the Nittany Lion program and 13th as a collegiate head coach, DeChellis, a 1982 Penn State graduate, has used his life lessons to build hard-working, united and determined teams that have mined success where it was previously hard to find. He did it first in a seven-year rebuilding project at East Tennessee State (1996-2003) that resulted in three conference divisional titles and the school's first NCAA Tournament appearance in a decade. As 10-year assistant coach at Penn State, he helped guide the Lions to four straight post-season appearances and six overall. He has put his own Nittany Lion team on a similar path rebuilding the talent base through inspired recruiting, including a pair of top 100 rated recruits in 2007 and a pair of standouts from the Keystone state in 2006, and setting a framework for success both on and off the court. His coaching performance in 2007-08 had many of his Big Ten colleagues and members of the media pointing to him as the conference's coach of the year. Primed for a run to the post-season in his fifth year at the helm, DeChellis saw his leading scorer and rebounder and preseason All-Big Ten first team pick Geary Claxton go down with a torn ACL 16 games into the season. Second leading scorer and rebounder Jamelle Cornley also suffered a knee injury that limited him for much of the season and caused him to miss six games, including the last three. All DeChellis did was lead a team that started four freshmen and five newcomers to the program to its most Big Ten wins (7) and best Big Ten finish (7th) since 2001. Along the way his young Lions knocked off No. 7 Michigan State and No. 17 Indiana while winning five straight home games to end the campaign. "Eddie DeChellis did a wonderful job at East Tennessee State," ESPN's Tom Brennan said in January of 2006, "...When you sit back and look at it, their really making great strides (at Penn State)." DeChellis' recruiting and coaching have helped Penn State claim its first ever Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Year (Jamelle Cornley, 2006) and three straight members of the Big Ten All-Freshman Team (Marlon Smith, 2004; Geary Claxton, 2005; Jamelle Cornley, 2006). The Lions had none before his arrival. He has also set about changing and revitalizing the program's culture - stressing family, a team-first attitude and a commitment to excellence without short-cuts that his players have embraced and taken ownership of whole-heartedly. The Nittany Lions reached the post-season in 2006, DeChellis' third year at the helm. Despite playing the youngest (12 underclassmen and one senior) and smallest line-up (just one player over 6-6 playing more than four minutes per game in league play) in the Big Ten, DeChellis led Penn State to its most overall wins (15-15), most non-conference wins (8-3), most Big Ten wins (6-10), first Big Ten Tournament win and first post-season appearance (NIT) in five seasons. The Lions' three Big Ten road wins tied for the program's most ever and the third-best mark in the conference, including a huge upset victory at No. 6 Illinois that ended the Illini's 33-game home win streak and marked the biggest road win in program history. Penn State swept two conference opponents (Purdue and Northwestern) for the first time since 1997-98, beat Indiana for just the third time in program history, and posted its best marks in scoring, assists, steals and shooting percentages and fewest turnovers in five or more seasons. "What DeChellis is doing at Penn State is (remarkable)," ESPN's Brent Musburger said late in the 2005-06 season. "Ed DeChellis is my choice for (Big Ten) coach of the year." DeChellis wrapped up the year by being named the 2006 National Coaches Vs. Cancer Man-of-the-Year for his contributions in raising funds and awareness in the fight against cancer. DeChellis was presented the award by ESPN's Jay Bilas before a large gathering of his peers at the Laurel Valley Golf Club in western Pennsylvania. Past recipients of the award include Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim and former Missouri coaching legend Norm Stewart. "It is tremendous for Ed and great for Penn State to have our basketball coach recognized and represent the University in this way," Penn State Director of Athletics Tim Curley said. "Ed has made a terrific impact not only on our basketball program but in the community, and this is a testament to his perseverance and hard work." DeChellis was rewarded for his efforts with a contract extension prior to the 2006-07 the season that will keep him at the Nittany Lion helm through at least the 2010-11 season. Penn State was coming off two consecutive seven-win seasons when DeChellis was named the 11th head coach in program history in April of 2003. Energizing the fans and players immediately, he helped guide Penn State to nine wins in his first season, better than each of the prior two seasons, with fewer players on scholarship than the previous year. DeChellis also helped guide Penn State to more Big Ten wins than the previous season as well. At the end of the 2003-04 season, freshman Marlon Smith became the first Nittany Lion to ever be named to the Big Ten All-Freshman squad. Smith and teammate Ben Luber also received Street and Smith Freshman All-American honorable mention. ned to Penn State after a very successful seven-year run as the head coach at East Tennessee State University. At ETSU he turned a last place Buccaneer team into a three-time conference divisional winner, a conference tournament champion and an NCAA Tournament squad. Taking over a program that went 7-20 the year before his arrival, DeChellis amassed a 105-93 record in his seven years as head coach from 1996-97 to 2002-03. Showcasing the ability to build a program from the foundation up, DeChellis had his most successful seasons in his last three years. During that span, his ETSU teams went 56-31 and won three straight Southern Conference North Division titles. In 2002-03, DeChellis guided a very young team to the Southern Conference Tournament championship and the school's first NCAA Tournament appearance in a decade. A No. 15 seed in the NCAA Tournament, DeChellis nearly coached his squad to an upset of No. 2 seed Wake Forest before falling, 76-73, in the game's final minute. Further evidence of the stability he brought to the ETSU program is the fact that his 2002-03 roster sported only three seniors, and only one started. DeChellis' teams posted a 60-49 conference record during his tenure, going 58-37 over the last six seasons. His 105 career coaching victories rank third in ETSU history. ned to Penn State after a very successful seven-year run as the head coach at East Tennessee State University. At ETSU he turned a last place Buccaneer team into a three-time conference divisional winner, a conference tournament champion and an NCAA Tournament squad. Taking over a program that went 7-20 the year before his arrival, DeChellis amassed a 105-93 record in his seven years as head coach from 1996-97 to 2002-03. Showcasing the ability to build a program from the foundation up, DeChellis had his most successful seasons in his last three years. During that span, his ETSU teams went 56-31 and won three straight Southern Conference North Division titles. In 2002-03, DeChellis guided a very young team to the Southern Conference Tournament championship and the school's first NCAA Tournament appearance in a decade. A No. 15 seed in the NCAA Tournament, DeChellis nearly coached his squad to an upset of No. 2 seed Wake Forest before falling, 76-73, in the game's final minute. Further evidence of the stability he brought to the ETSU program is the fact that his 2002-03 roster sported only three seniors, and only one started. DeChellis' teams posted a 60-49 conference record during his tenure, going 58-37 over the last six seasons. His 105 career coaching victories rank third in ETSU history.